by MJ Fletcher
“Take them,” True yelled.
I turned my head and caught Jasper, Faith’s ex-boyfriend and traitor coming for me to my right and to my left, two men approached.
“Any ideas?” Ichibod asked having taken in our predicament.
“You’re surrounded, Masters, give up.”
The voice made my skin crawl even more than Ms. True’s. I glanced over my shoulder to see Caleb Darker walking toward me with a man wearing a hoodie that concealed his face following behind him. Darker—the man who killed Nightshade—how I hated him. It took all my willpower not to attack him right then.
“Sorry, I got you into this, Ichibod.” I’d really screwed up this time, not only was I going to die, but my ancestor might as well. Hell, did that mean if he died I would never be born? When I screw up I do a bang up job.
“My mom calls me Ichibod,” He laughed as he spun his whip keeping Jasper at bay. “My friends all call me Bodie.”
My breath caught in my throat at his nickname. ‘Tell Bodie I said hi.’ That’s what Rosalita had said to me before I left her office, except I hadn’t known a Bodie, not until now. What the hell? What else had she said to me? I wracked my brain as the First Kind moved slowly toward us.
Remember, go left.
I didn’t wait, I grabbed Bodie’s arm and yanked him left just as the two guys descended on us. They stumbled missing us. Bodie and I reacted as one, flicking out our wrists and snapping our whips into them and knocking them into the bookshelves. With a quick jump, we leapt over them and raced along the shelves. The sound of Darker screaming in frustration followed quickly behind us as we reached an intersection and turned racing in another direction.
“This way,” Bodie yelled and turned taking us out of the bookshelves and back into the Tavern.
“You’d think someone would stop a full-fledged fight in this place,” I said amazed that no one seemed to care about the mayhem around them as we ran past.
“Fights are common here. Most people don’t want to get involved, better off that way.”
“Now where?” I scanned the section we were in. I caught a glimpse of the area where I was due to meet my team. With so many people in the way I didn’t have a clear view so I couldn’t see if they were there waiting.
“I have to go this way.” Bodie pointed in the opposite direction.
I wanted to go with him, but I needed to get back to my people and my time. “I’m this way.” I jerked my thumb backwards and gave a half smile. “Good luck, Bodie.”
He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. It reminded me of the way my dad would always hug me and I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tight.
“You do our name proud,” he whispered, and then let me go and ran off to his own rendezvous.
I didn’t have time to be sentimental; I spun and started weaving in and out of the mass of people between me and my team. If I could make it to them we would have a fighting chance even if the First Kind found us.
I found a break in the crowd and raced through it. I arched my neck and could see the team standing where we were due to meet. Faith was pacing back and forth and Edgar was standing with his head hanging down, Jackson right behind him. Hitch and Mary were standing off to the side talking.
“Hey!” I yelled running forward. Edgar’s head shot up; his face was beet red. Faith turned toward me and smiled wide. Then in a split second everything changed.
“Chloe, it’s a trap run!” Edgar screamed louder than I had ever heard him. He whipped his satchel around hitting Jackson in the face with it and started to run toward me. Jackson recovered quickly and his doorknob snapped out a blast of energy slamming into Edgar’s back and dropped him to the floor.
“No,” I screamed and ran for Edgar.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Status: Betrayed.
“Edgar.” I brought my whip around furiously attacking Jackson. He quickly raised a shield and I shattered it with one blow. I swung my whip again and cut his feet out from under him.
“Stop.” Faith’s voice cut through my anger, freezing me in place. I stood immobile beside a knocked out Jackson with Edgar a few feet away, the back of his jacket charred from the blast he took. I couldn’t move. I urged ever muscle in my body to do something—anything—but not one muscle even twitched.
“What did you do?” I spoke through gritted teeth.
“Nothing that I haven’t done before.” Faith walked into my field of vision smiling.
“You.” My head exploded in a mixture of pain and visions and I caught a glimpse of an alleyway, then I saw Faith and Jasper kissing and I was running toward them when Faith raised her hand and I saw what she held.
“Yes, it was me, your little sidekick who you didn’t think twice about.” She laughed and lifted her hand and the small globe that Gavin had given me before we tried to rescue Val a few months ago rolled around in her palm.
“Gavin’s Forget Me Not.” It hadn’t been Gavin, he had never betrayed me. It had been Faith all along. Thinking back on it, I should have known it was her. The constant headaches around her should have been a good indication and whenever we were in close proximity of the Legend, I had felt the control of the Forget Me Not loosening.
“It did come in handy. I’d been chosen to get close to you. You seeing Jasper and I kissing would have ruined all that, but this little thing took care of that and has helped me keep you in line ever since.” She chuckled and walked over to Edgar. She pulled his satchel off him and gave him a swift kick in the side. He moaned and I let out a sigh of relief, at least he was alive “I needed to get this from you. When we stole the Legend from the Mapmakers I tried for it then, but you got away with it. I don’t know where you’ve been hiding it but I knew you would bring it out to use eventually.”
“You’re a traitor.”
“Oh please, the Doorknob Society is pathetic, even you know that or you wouldn’t keep all the secrets from them that you do. We’re just choosing the winning side.”
“Don’t do this, Faith.”
“You think you can appeal to our friendship? Here’s a clue, Chloe, I was never your friend. But when I get done with you,” —she lifted the Forget Me Not to my face— “I’ll be the only friend you have, then you’ll tell me where you’ve been hiding this and where the Impossible Engineers artifact is as well.”
“Wrong, bitch, I won’t tell you anything,” I laughed in her face. She actually thought I was pleading. Damn, but she really didn’t know me. “You think we had a friendship? Even with that thing controlling me, you couldn’t get close enough to get what you needed. You’re pathetic and before this is over, I’m going to kick your sorry ass.”
“I don’t think so,” she said with a laugh that didn’t sound so confident. She waved at Mary and Hitch to help Jackson up.
“What are you doing?” Ms. True’s voice floated in from behind me and I could hear the sounds of her hurried footfalls as she approached.
“Finishing the mission, Ms. True.” Faith’s smile faded and she pulled the Forget Me Not away from me.
“How? By telling her everything? If you taunt her, foolish girl, it will make it that much harder for her mind to accept you.” True came to stand beside Faith and smiled at me. “Not so cocky now are you?”
“This isn’t over yet,” I threatened with confidence born of anger.
“Yes, it is,” True snapped, “and you’ve lost. We’ll use the Forget Me Not and you’ll lead your best friend here to the other artifact.”
My hands began to shake as I fought against the power of the Forget Me Not. I reached deep inside myself, calling on my abilities, trying to activate them. But I felt only the smallest of sparks. I wouldn’t let them do this to me again, damn it I wouldn’t.
“What about him?” Faith waved toward Edgar.
“Take him, we need him, and let her believe that he died fighting us. Hurry up, Caleb and his lapdog will be here soon and I don’t want him and her around one another, understood?” True smile
d at me and I wanted so badly to slap it off her face.
“No problem.” Faith stepped forward and lifted the Forget Me Not in front of my face once again. “I think this time I’ll make you believe that I did my best to save Edgar, but it was you who got him killed.”
Pain started creeping into my head as the Forget Me Not activated. I closed my eyes and willed my own abilities to activate. I tried to remember everything Gavin had taught me about using my Polymorph powers, and I called out to each one of them, begging them to unlock and allow me to escape. The spark I had felt earlier grew slightly, though not enough to help. My memories began to swirl and it wouldn’t be long before she wiped away everything I had just learned. I dug in thinking of Edgar and how if I couldn’t succeed and break the hold the device had on me then he wouldn’t survive... just like Nightshade.
Nightshade popped into my head, smiling that crooked grin of his and his beautiful eyes stared straight through me. I held strong and hard to that image and the power of the Forget Me Not didn’t seem as powerful. I clung to my memories and remembered everything that had happened.
“What’s going on?” Ms. True asked.
“She’s fighting it,” Faith replied.
“Hurry up, they’re coming.”
My abilities responded to my call and I was able to hold the Forget Me Not at bay. My powers engulfed my body and my energy reached out for my doorknob, the flow of the universe hovering around me, then I stopped. There was something else, another vessel even more powerful than my doorknob, with me.
The mirror in my bag hummed and my abilities connected to it. A surge of energy shot through me and like thin ice cracking, the hold the Forget Me Not had over me shattered.
“OW!” Faith yelled and my eyes sprang open. The Forget Me Not was smoking in her hand. I snatched it with one hand and brought the other around in a strong right hook. It snapped into Faith’s jaw and knocked her to the ground.
“Bitch.” I stood over her and yanked my doorknob out of my bag. A line of electricity shot out from the mirror in my bag to my Doorknob and it oozed with energy. I snapped out my whip and spun it attacking Ms. True.
She didn’t have time to get her Skeleton Key out. My whip cracked across her chest, sizzling her flesh. She let out a scream before collapsing to the ground, smoke pouring off of her.
I spun around. Edgar was still on the ground, leaving me to face Faith’s team alone. I needed to end this quickly and get Edgar and me out of here. If Darker and his man got here, odds would be decidedly against me.
“Play time is over, Masters.” Jackson laughed and stepped toward me.
I lurched forward cracking my whip back and forth forcing him backward like a caged tiger with no place to go. Hitch and Mary were forced to step to the side as I advanced. I didn’t let up; I kept moving steadily toward him. He activated his Doorknob and tried to bring up a shield but I flicked my wrist and brought the whip across, slashing his puny effort in half before it fully formed.
The energy that infused my Doorknob intoxicated me with power and I snapped the whip cracking his doorknob from his hand and sending it flying over the edge of the precipice.
“I don’t play games; I play for real.” It was my turn to sneer as I left him standing precariously on the edge trembling.
“You and Edgar are both dead,” he screamed and rushed at me. I dropped and spun bringing my whip around to catch his ankle and yanked, sending him hurdling over the edge.
“You first,” I shouted as he disappeared. I swerved around to face off against Hitch and Mary while Faith struggled to pull herself up and activate her Doorknob.
“You killed him?” Mary’s voice quivered and so did her hand holding her Doorknob. She was frightened and unsure and in a whole lot deeper than she probably thought possible.
“You fight, you face consequences.”
“Let’s get her.” Faith’s voice dripped with venom and this was one fight I was going to relish and definitely going to win.
Hitch came at me but I could feel it was a feint and swung my whip at Mary who jumped backward instead of advancing. Hitch scrambled backwards away from his screw up and I kicked my leg out catching his knee. I heard it snap before he screamed and dropped to the ground clutching at his leg.
I turned to Mary, her eyes wide with fear as she cautiously stepped backwards shaking her head, and then like a frightened rabbit, she bolted. I had saved the best for last, and I could almost taste revenge.
I turned my head, Faith stood alone facing me. “Your turn.”
“Try me.” Faith leapt forward, her Doorknob generating a dagger.
I stepped to the side dodging the blow, then snapped my whip out and just missed catching her hip. We circled around each other, looking for an opening or the other one’s weakness. Faith had been holding back during training. She was much more polished then she had pretended.
I feigned a move and Faith’s arm shot up to defend. I circled back in the other direction. She sneered at me, as if baiting me and it was obvious that she wanted to drag out the fight long enough for the other bad guys to get here. I ached to take her down but it was more important to get out of here as soon as possible. I moved so that Edgar would be right behind me. If I’d gauged the distance right, he was only four steps from me and the wall with the jetpacks was another five steps after that.
“Scared?” Faith taunted and I chuckled.
“Of you? Not likely.” That did it; she rushed in slicing with downward slashes as she came toward me. I planted my feet firm and transformed my whip into a small shield to protect against the blade. At the last moment Faith twisted, bringing the blade in from the side and bouncing off my shield and slicing through my hoodie into my arm.
I pivoted away from her, the warm liquid running down my arm a good indication that the cut was deep. Damn it, I was getting cocky. That was dumb, Chloe, I chastised myself as Faith smiled at me. Not only had she cut me, now she blocked my access to Edgar. I watched Faith waiting for an indication of when her next move would come. Her eyes gave her away, focusing behind me for a moment and then shifting her vision back to me. Damn, someone was coming.
I dropped down as soon as I heard the footsteps and swung my whip out catching Jasper as he rushed at me. I yanked hard and he smashed face first into the floor. The sound of his nose cracking brought a smile to my face. I tugged my whip to retract it but I wasn’t fast enough. Faith was on me, her blade coming down so fast that I only had time to bring my arm up to block the blow. I winced as I got another cut for being too slow.
I scrambled backward, my arm covered in blood and dripping down off my hand. My shoulder was starting to sag and my energy drain from the loss of blood. This was going badly quickly. I couldn’t waste another minute. I rushed her, bringing my whip up in a perfect arc while dropping my injured arm as if it were too weak to lift. She took the bait and shifted to my left side avoiding my whip and going after my injured side.
I snapped my left hand out quickly. It hurt but what the hell choice did I have. My fist connected squarely with her face, the unexpected punch stunning her. I twisted my other arm and brought the whip around catching her around the neck and spinning her like a top. Then I gave a tug, spun her to me, and hit her again square in the jaw. She stumbled and staggered to the side. I used what strength I had left in my injured arm and hit her with a left hook across the cheek that dropped her to the ground.
“Damn it, get her.” Darker was standing at the front of the large crowd that had gathered to watch the battle. His hooded companion whipped out a Skeleton Key and let a blast of energy rip. It tore through the air, my reaction time slow thanks to my wound and the shot of energy caught me in my bad shoulder, spinning me around as I tried to run.
Damn, if that didn’t hurt like hell. I scrambled over to Edgar and brought my Doorknob up and twisted it opening portals all around my attacker. He flipped over the first and caught the edge of the second and started to swing toward us.
I reac
hed Edgar, grabbed his collar, and dragged him to his knees, slapping him across the face to wake him. “Edgar, we need to go.” His eyes fluttered and he stared at me groggily. I didn’t give him any more time to recover. “Move it.” I started dragging him to the wall where the jetpacks rested.
The attacker jumped from the last portal I had opened and shot off three bolts at us. I didn’t bother to block them; I didn’t have time to get into a standoff. The first hit my stomach but I stayed on my feet while the other two flew past me.
He misjudged my response, expecting me to block his blasts, so he was shocked when I let loose with blasts of my own and caught him mid- stride, knocking him clear off his feet.
“Get up damn it and kill her,” Darker screamed at his lackey while he kneeled over Ms. True.
My attacker obeyed, fighting to get to his feet. We didn’t have much time and a glance at my arm confirmed what I already knew... it was useless. I slapped Edgar again, trying to gain some measure of help.
“What’s going on?” he mumbled.
“Fighting for our lives here, need a hand.” I was attempting to pull a jetpack off the peg on the wall with one hand and it wasn’t going well. Edgar surmised the situation in one quick glance and didn’t hesitate. He reached up and snatched the jetpack.
“What are we doing?”
“Escaping, put it on.” Edgar slung the pack over his shoulder and I pulled it tight.
“He’s up.” Edgar’s face went white with fear.
I spun and let loose a torrent of power, blasting at my foe. He jumped to the side and swung his own wave of energy at us, slamming us into the wall with such force that I lost my breath.
“Chloe?” Edgar’s eyes told me that he was beyond worry and now at hopeless and since I couldn’t talk I just smiled and wrapped my good arm around his neck. I kissed him on the forehead, and then threw us off the ledge.
